High Point's TSA team unable to compete at nationals
By Sue Kvanali
WANTAGE — High Point High School's Technology Students Association isn't going to this year’s national competition despite being the most successful public school chapter in New Jersey. Brian Drelick, a teacher and chairman of the Department of Technological Studies at High Point, said students placed in eight events at the state championship and walked away with five state titles at the April 10 event in Ewing.
The first place awards were in Dragster Design, VEX Robotics, Animatronics, CAD 3D Engineering and Digital Video Production. Drelick said that to succeed at this level, students come in during study halls, lunch, after school and on weekends to work on their projects. “What they accomplished there was pretty remarkable,” said Drelick. “They’re just totally, totally dedicated.”
Despite their success, traveling to the national competition in Orlando, FL, will not be a reality for the 2013 TSA state finalists because of security issues at the hotel venue, scheduling conflicts with the event date and funding issues for the purchase of new uniforms. According to student testimony at the April 16 High Point BOE meeting, money that was allocated for this year's TSA team is being used towards the purchase of new shirts for next year.
However, TSA official attire change was not a new development. In 2011, the TSA Board of Directors decided to implement the official blue shirt based on a survey result. Lynda Haitz, Program Manager for TSA National, said teams have a 2-3 year transition period for the changeover from the white to blue shirt. Beginning June 2014, TSA students can only compete if wearing the blue shirt. The shirts are priced from $26-$28 depending on quantity ordered.
High Point senior and TSA member Ray Gallagher said, “I feel this is discrimination...How can you take the money that was budgeted for this year’s TSA and move it into uniforms for next year’s conference? Are we just supposed to be okay with this? I’m a senior. We are all seniors...This is our last year. We do not have another chance to compete for the national level.”
Scott Ripley, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at High Point, said the hotel in which the kids would be staying this year is isolated and that students would have to take cabs or walk long distances to find entertainment. “The chaperones felt that it was prohibitive and did not want to put themselves in an unsecure situation,” said Ripley.
At the 2008 TSA event, also held in Orlando, students from High Point left their hotel unannounced. “The students that placed this year are well-behaved, why are we being punished for the actions of students that graduated over four years ago?" asked High Point student and TSA member Krishna Desai at the April 16 BOE meeting. “Imagine the success we could have this year at nationals since we were state champions?" High Point interim superintendent Dr. Terry Brennan reinforced the reasons why the TSA team wouldn't be attending this year's national competition. "Everything takes place at the hotel and there’s nothing around it," said Brennan. "So you’d be stuck there after the show, you wouldn’t be able to go anywhere."
Brennan also cited the timing of the event as another obstacle for the team. The actual event days are from June 28 to July 2, two days before the 4th of July holiday.
“The money for the conference was used for uniforms for next year," said Brennan. "Good, fair, or not, that was done...That’s the best I can tell you at this juncture."